Brendan Rodgers is hopeful that Jamie Vardy will return to spearhead the Leicester City attack at home to Liverpool on Tuesday - and explained why the striker was left on the bench for his side’s defeat at Manchester City on Boxing Day.
Vardy continued his impressive scoring record against Liverpool when he netted two goals in last Wednesday’s Carabao Cup meeting between the teams at Anfield.
But Vardy, along with key midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, were unused substitutes for Leicester as they lost a thrilling game to City 6-3 at the Etihad.
And after that match Rodgers was asked about whether the pair have any chance of starting the Premier League encounter with Liverpool.
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He said: “It was too big a risk (to play against City). They were suffering with tightness after (the Liverpool cup game).
“Wilf has played a lot of football for us, so he hasn’t had a chance to rest, and Jamie, like I said the other night, he couldn’t really run in the last half-hour, so to put him in today’s game would be really, really tough.
“But hopefully they’ll be fine and recovered for Tuesday night.”
Leicester were missing nine players against City - as well as Vardy and Ndidi, they were also without centre-backs Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu and Wesley Fofana, full-backs James Justin and Ricardo Pereira, winger Harvey Barnes, and goalkeeper Danny Ward.
Another full-back, Ryan Bertrand, was injured in the warm-up, and Rodgers admitted he is unlikely to be fit to face Liverpool.
